OTTAWA — A Conservative senator is questioning his colleagues' loyalty to Prime Minister Stephen Harper after some of them revolted against proposed Senate reforms and forced the government to change course.

Senator Bert Brown of Alberta, the only elected member in the upper chamber who was appointed by Harper and tasked to sell the government's reforms to the provinces, lashed out at Wednesday against colleagues who "showered" Democratic Reform Minister Tim Uppal with complaints about Senate elections and a nine-year limit on the length of time senators can serve.

Brown reminded them that their job is to pass the government's reforms.

"Those of us who came to the red chamber were there to get a majority vote for reform. Those in the Senate before Harper became prime minister need to realize that, had he not made appointments, the Conservatives appointed by Mulroney would now be a very small group struggling to do anything!" Brown wrote in an email to all Conservative senators.

"Every senator in this caucus needs to decide where their loyalty should be and must be. The answer is simple; our loyalty is to the man who brought us here, the man who has wanted Senate reform since he entered politics, the Rt. Hon. Stephen Harper," Brown wrote.

Many senators — including some who were appointed to the upper chamber by Harper on the condition they would support the government's Senate reforms — no longer believe the government's proposals are a good idea. On Tuesday, some of them told Uppal directly.

Uppal was briefing the Tories on the government's new proposal to extend senators' term limits from eight years to nine. The Prime Minister's Office had floated the idea of extending terms to 10 or 12 years as a compromise to those who were balking, but high-ranking officials felt that even 10 years was too long.

Because senators appointed by Harper have pledged to resign their seats after their term expires — whatever length that may be — there has been some "very heated discussions" between those who will be affected by the legislation and others, such as those named by former prime minister Brian Mulroney, who won't be, said Conservative Senator Pierre-Hugues Boisvenu of Quebec.

The government's Senate proposals, Boisvenu said, aren't flawless but they're the best option for reform right now.

"It is the ideal solution? No. But we have to work with the tools we have," he said.

The Harper government now plans to combine its term-limit bill with another piece of legislation that establishes a provincial electoral process to select new senators. Faced with a caucus of senators whose support was wavering, Harper has decided also to introduce Senate reform legislation in the House of Commons.

Conservative senator and Harper appointee Richard Neufeld said he believes Conservative senators can disagree with Harper over his Senate reform and still be loyal.

Neufeld, a B.C. senator, touched off a controversy last summer when he told his colleagues in the Senate that he no longer supported an elected chamber.

"Since I have been here, I am not sure that an elected Senate is the way to go," he said.

On Wednesday, Neufeld said: "I voiced my concerns, they are clearly on the record . . . and that's really all I have to say about it."

Conservative Senator Doug Finley, a close friend of Harper's, said he believes the dissent is overblown and that when the time comes, Conservative senators will vote in favour of the legislation.

"I . . . understand the concern of my fellow senators as to how this (reform) will play out. And I don't think that there is any particular self-interested motive in this, you know, people wanting to get an extra year or two," Finely said.

Harper doesn't want to pass his reforms in an adversarial manner, Finley added.

"I think there is room for middle ground and both of the senior parties in the Senate can arrive at an agreement that pleases everybody," he said.

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.